International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It’s also a call to action for equality in how women are paid, treated and their role in society. To celebrate, we’re featuring notable women all month—inspiring female adventurers, travellers, and activists who have a message to share.
Deia Schlosberg, 38, worked as a graphic designer, an educator on global sustainability issues, a field scientist and wilderness therapist before loading her backpack and hiking the length of the Andes. It was a two-year, 7800-mile roadless trek. Post-trek, her interests crystalized and Deia pursued a degree in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from Montana State University.
Last year, she was arrested filming an activist shutting down the Keystone Pipeline and threatened with 45 years in prison. But that hasn’t deterred her from highlighting human rights, climate change and other big, controversial global issues in her films. We talked to Deia about tackling overwhelming tasks, travel as a tool for understanding, and everyone’s ability to have an impact.
I didn’t grow up travelling internationally. My family did a lot of travelling and camping in the U.S. When we travelled we didn’t do touristy things. We’d explore forests and coastlines and national parks. We always sought authenticity and to learn about the true nature of a place instead of seeking a vacation that matched the picture on the flyer.
Travel shows you that people are people. The connections and moments you have with people anywhere on this planet are human moments. In my experience, all humans, regardless of nationality, are seeking the same basic things out of life. I think certain people in charge of global systems would do good to travel and spend time with the people about whom they make assumptions.
My big takeaways from the Andes trek were I learned to trust my instincts, and that I am stronger than I thought. I also came away from that trek with a sense of the scale of the planet—I felt it on a visceral level. Hiking the length of the mountain range taught me about interconnectedness, which has become one of the main themes in my filmmaking.
I think for most people, the size of a planet is an abstract idea.
You can learn the numbers–how big your state or province is, how big your country is, how many times a certain country can fit into another country, but it all does very little for true understanding of size until you put it into the perspective of your own ability to cover a distance and to know what that distance feels like.
Walking a continent, I realized that if one human body can feel and experience that the earth really isn’t that big, that one human can also have more of an impact on dysfunctional global systems than we think. Being an activist is not futile. What we’re up against isn’t insurmountable. We all have more power and agency then we’re led to believe.
When I hiked the Andes, my partner, Greg Treinish and I didn’t approach it as one massive project.
That would have been paralyzing. Instead, we thought of it as a trajectory. Our only decision every day was to keep following our trajectory. And fortunately, most of the times when we wanted to quit we were too far from anywhere to do it. If we had to tackle the whole project every day, we would have never completed the trek.
Biting off a smaller chunk of a project makes it less daunting. And often, the super specific is the most universal. To have a really complete understanding of one piece of a puzzle can lead to a much clearer understanding of the whole than looking at the whole can give. Telling one person’s story can be more powerful than talking about a colossal and abstract problem. That’s how I approach documentary filmmaking, too.
If there is one big goal that drives me, it’s to make the best use of my time on the planet. I don’t feel like I ever had the impulse to prove myself to others. The pressures I put on myself have always been miles beyond the pressure I feel from other people.
Being arrested filming protestors shutting down the Keystone Pipeline and being charged with felonies and threatened with prison had an impact on my psyche. But I tried not to let it impact my decision making. It scared me, but it also made me more determined than ever to keep covering injustice. I think it’s more important than ever to report on anything related to human rights and climate change.
Fear doesn’t play a starring role in my day to day thinking.
The Andes trek changed my relationship with fear.
For the most part, any fear I have now is tied to a global issue like climate change, social inequality, basic human rights abuse, and the institutionalized cover-up of these issues.
I don’t think of myself as having a thirst for adventure. I seek to understand. Getting out in the world and talking to people is the best means to that end. Exploring helps me understand and learn.
For me, there are advantages to travelling alone and to travelling as a pair. I like to have someone to process with, someone to reflect with. It helps me connect and feel grounded. And the bonds you form when you travel together are unlike anything else. But when you travel with a partner, the rudder can be less responsive. Conversations are more organic, they flow more smoothly when you’re one-on-one.
I think travelling for personal growth is hugely important.
Travelling with a bigger purpose is also really meaningful. There comes a time when it’s natural to give back. Once you understand yourself, travelling can be a powerful tool that can contribute to society.
The majority of humans are scraping by to survive, including women, people of colour and more. I advocate for women, but it’s not my only focus. I appreciated what Caroline Gleich said about International Women’s Day–it’s ridiculous that we have to have a day for women. We’re more than half the world’s population. We shouldn’t be reduced to “a thing”.
Diea’s story was documented by Vermont-based writer, photographer and adventurer Berne Broudy.
If you want to expand your horizons while also making a contribution to local community projects from around the world, search for a volunteer project that fits your personal interests on TourRadar.
